


Your Eyes on Me

by Arthemis_Silverheart



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Betrayal, Drama, F/M, Hurt, Romance, Villain as love interest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 03:36:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7874659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arthemis_Silverheart/pseuds/Arthemis_Silverheart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the City that Never Sleeps, a lounge pianist captures the hearts of a powerful General and a carefree Captain.<br/>Will the magic first love burn forever, or the promise of a new love prevail?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Angel in Red

_**The moment he laid eyes on her, Fury Caraway immediately knew he was going to have Julia Heartilly ...One way, or another.** _

His idea of fun involved a deck of Triple Triad Cards, but his friends thought otherwise.

Fun, apparently, was bar-hopping and looking for a beautiful woman to share a drink with.

His military friends chose The Galbadia Hotel, a five-star facility in Deling City. It was one of the best hotels in the continent, if not, the best hotel. Impeccable service. Impeccable drinks. Even an impeccable hotel name! How could it not be impeccable when it began with a "The"?

His friend, General Marco, ushered him to the lounge area and waived his hand to a person. A handsome tall man immediately made approached them.

"General Marco, how pleasant to see you again!" the blonde man greeted.

Fury smirked. Whoever the man was, he saw a great actor. The blond man could fool Marco, but he couldn't fool him. The manager didn't like his friend at all. It wasn't with the way he smiled at Marco, or how open his body language was. The man’s aura told everything. At a young age, Fury developed a keen sense of checking people's auras.

"Ah, Hugo my friend! Of course I've returned. Your quality is the best!" Marco beamed. "And because you're the best, I've brought my friends with me. May I present to you the Generals Marcus and Caraway."

The man named Hugo looked at Fury's eyes for the first time and bowed. "Greetings and I give you my welcome. My name is Hugo, the General Manager of Operations for The Galbadia Hotel. I give you my warmest welcome."

Marcus smiled. "Marco here tells us that you have the best guest relations."

Hugo smiled that didn't reach his ears. "Of course." he snapped his hands and three lovely ladies appeared out of nowhere.

A lovely blonde with earth-brown eyes sat beside Fury."Good evening." she greeted and he returned the woman's greeting.

"I need to excuse myself to attend other matters. Please excuse me. " Hugo turned away and left them.

Marco took a bottle of champagne and opened it."A toast! To the newly promoted General Caraway!" 

The blonde’s eyes lit with delight as if she had struck a goldmine. "So you're a military man, huh?" she drawled.

He flashed her a grin. "You find that sexy, don't you?" He wanted to relax at home and play a nice game of Triple Triad. But the company of this woman would do. 

The lights dimmed and Fury wondered if there was going to be a show. He relaxed and poured himself a brandy when she appeared. 

_ A vision in red. An angel in red.  _

She gracefully bowed and sat on the piano chair to play the sweetest melody he ever heard. Caraway yearned to hear her play forever, to be enchanted with the music her fingers skillfully produced.  For the first time in his adult life, an angel enchanted him. _He would have her._

The angel ended her piece, bowed and left the same way she came. 

Feeling ignored, the woman beside him tried to vie for his attention. His friends chuckled. Caraway ignored them and searched for Hugo. 

It was no secret how Fury rose from the Galbadian military ranks. His grit, combined with his strong vision and determination allowed him to pursue and obtain his goals. 

The lovely young lounge pianist was no exception. 

Throughout the years, his job had exposed him to different place, different life changing scenarios… and a bevy of beautiful women. He was a ladies' man, _a connoisseur_ , as he preferred to be called. He loved the attention beautiful women gave him, and he was not timid to refuse them. 

But with the young pianist who played with such exquisite sweetness... he knew the women of his past, even the blonde beside him and the women beside Marcus and Marco, paled in comparison to her. 

Caraway was not the only one observing in the room. The General Manager had his eyes glued on him the moment Julia stood on the stage.

Hugo was not blind to everything that happened in the Hotel. He knew each and every one of his guests, and he made it a point to know each person's background. Even if he didn't personally like them. 

Nothing was safe was his scrutinizing eyes. One could mistake him for a detective because of his meticulous background checks. For Hugo, it was simply a way of learning your customers. _Know your customers to please them. Know what pleases them to make them come back for more._

It was his job to make people continue to patronize The Galbadia Hotel, and he would do anything for that. It wasn't a surprise to discover Caraway was smitten with the lounge pianist. She was lovely indeed---The kind of woman many would only dream of spending the rest of their lives with. The kind of woman who caused leg cramps when men approached her. He chuckled, remembering the long-haired soldier who suffered a bout of leg cramps the other day.

Hugo tried to remember what he knew about Caraway from a Magazine. 

_ Fury Caraway, recently promoted as General in the Galbadian Military. Currently active in the war with Timber. Born in Deling City and owned a large mansion in the city's wealthiest district. A ladies man. Very popular with socialites.  _

The General was not classically handsome, but his features were striking, making any person look at him twice. The experiences of war etched into the planes of his face, adding a tinge of cruelty to his face. It made him more menacing and formidable.

Carefully, he waited for Caraway to approach him, attempting to gauge his interest on her. "I see that our lovely lounge pianist has gained another admirer." 

Caraway flicked his gaze to him. Hugo found not a single trace of admiration in those gray eyes. _Damn, he was good!_ He knew how to control and hide his emotions... and he hid it well. 

"Who is she?" he asked. "I would recognize and remember a beautiful and talented pianist like her." 

Hugo rubbed his palms togther. "Her name is Julia Heartilly.”

“Julia Heartilly.” Caraway repeated. 

“Though she plays in the other hotel lounges, I’ve recently managed to convince her to play exclusively for The Galbadia.” 

"Excellent.” Caraway remarked, his gaze focused on the manager. “I want to meet her then- _in private_." 

He nodded. "Certainly, General Caraway." 

No other words were spoken, and the General dismissed him with a wave of his hand. 

Hugo walked away and continued to welcome other guests. So that was the Fury Caraway he overheard from several military officers. The man whom young officers whispered in fear and awe. The man who inspired fear from his enemies, and commanded respect from his subordinates.

_ A man of a few words.  _

Now all that was left was to inform the angel in red.


	2. I want you to be my Piano Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hugo knows a gem when he sees one and tries to convince Julia Heartilly to play for The Galbadia.

Waiting for her "Very Important Person" guest, Julia sat on the soft cushion of the divan, massaging her arms and legs. 

Hugo immediately called her attention after her performance, informing her a man of "utmost importance" desired to meet her. 

Julia was not fond of entertaining guests, however, one look at Hugo's face made her break her oath. 

She couldn't afford to let him down, remembering the opportunities he paved her way.

Hugo  was her good friend-the friend who saw potential in her before before she saw it in herself. The same good friend who pushed her to meet with the "Fat Fish" privately. Whoever this _"fat Galbadian fish"_ was, she knew it had to be someone special.

She hummed herself a lullaby, trying to alleviate her boredom.  Julia had always dreamed of becoming a singer and a song-writer. She never dreamed of becoming a pianist- it was a dream her parents had pushed to her be.

She wanted to write songs- songs which changed people; songs which rang hope; songs which inspired people to be who they wanted to be. Those were her deepest wants, her most secret wishes. Julia couldn't dare to tell a single soul about it, fearing ridicule. Given the choice, she would choose her dreams over them. 

But Hugo, dear sweet Hugo, saw the flicker of talent she never thought she'd have.

Julia was in the music shop, looking at the assortment of musical instruments when they first met. A beautiful antique piano caught her attention. Unable to help herself, she sat down and played an unfinished piece she composed. She needed an inspiration to finish her composition. The question was, how to find that inspiration.

"Love," a voice spoke, shattering her frustrations. "is all you need."

Julia stopped playing to look at the man behind her. Tall and around his early thirties, he had short cropped blond hair styled in the latest fashion. He looked dashing in his maroon tuxedo. 

"You're a very good pianist." He told her. "But your eyes tell me it's not the piano that owns you. Your eyes tell me you yearn to sing music."

She gaped at him. "How did you know?" she asked. Only a handful of people could see what her soul yearned for. _Definitely not the piano._

Hugo flashed her warm smile. "There's a reason why people tell me to sideline as a detective. I tend to read people accurately. I bet you always wanted to be a singer."

"A singer and a song writer" she corrected, impressed with the man's person-reading skills.

He shrugged. "Close enough. I haven't introduced myself, have I?" He bowed before her. "I'm Hugo, the Assistant General Manager of Galbadia Hotel in Deling City."

He extended his right hand shook hers. "Actually, our General Manager just tended her resignation letter yesterday. Effective tomorrow, I will be Hugo Delaware, the General Manager of The Galbadia Hotel in Deling City."

"Julia Heartilly" she replied. "A frustrated singer song-writer."

Hugo laughed. "Frustrated? Well, perhaps I can invite you to sing for our Hotel's lounge. I can recommend you to our General Manager- oops! I forgot. _I am_ the General Manager."

Julia negatively waved her hands. "Oh, I'm not that good. I might bring embarrassment to your hotel."

She had heard a lot of things about The Galbadia Hotel. A five-star class hotel, it was one of the best, if not, _the_ _best_ hotel in the Galbadian Region. Hearing someone work for the Hotel was a privilege, a badge you could tell people. Apparently, getting hired in the Hotel wasn't an easy feat.

"You have the talent." He pointed out. "And if you want to be a singer song-writer, then all you have to do is to start playing and getting used in our lounge. The Galbadian Hotel caters to the upper class citizens of Galbadia. It's a good start if you want to establish your audience."

Despite the good deal he was offering, Hugo sensed her hesitancy. "Shall I expound the other benefits? You'll get to have your audience. And when you have a loyal army of fans, they will clamor for whatever you'll produce."

 _That_ caught Julia's attention. "Really?"

"Definitely."

He wasted no time. "If you ever change you mind, here's my calling card. Good day, Ms. Heartilly."

He handed her his business card and left. Looking over his pocket watch, he began to count.

_One. T_ _wo._ _Three._

"Mr. Hugo, can we talk for a minute?"

_Perfect._

He turned around and flashed a smile. "Certainly, Ms. Heartilly."

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted in FF.net, and I’m happy to inform you it’s already a finished piece. However, I recently discovered their 2012 purge due to violation of Terms. I fear that this story will be purged in the future, given the mature themes and sexual content present in this story. 
> 
> I realized I could not compromise the integrity of this story, hence, I decided to post in AO3.  
> Transferring the story to this site made me realize there much more things to improve. As such, I’ve chopped sentences and rephrased paragraphs, making the AO3 version slightly different from the one in FF.net.
> 
> Allow me to present my take on the love triangle between Julia, Laguna and Fury Caraway.  
> I hope you will enjoy this story!


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